Death Angel
by Crystal Music
Summary: In experiments with life and death, Voldemort created the Death Angels: beautiful and deadly. Now one of the most powerful is on a mission: To kill Harry Potter. Can Hermione get to him in time? Partial-sequel to Hermione's Big Day. r/r please!
1. Ripple Effect

_A/N: Hello everyone! I'm finally back!! This is intended as a partial-sequel to Hermione's Big Day, but for new readers, all you need to know is that Harry and Hermione are together in their sixth year. K? ;) I know it took me a long time to get this up, but I have loads of excuses and would be happy to send a list to anyone who asks. The first couple pages are a bit cheesy, but it gets better! I promise! ANYWAYS, enjoy! -CM_

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Lystra adjusted the bangles on her ears and smiled at herself in the mirror. She was beautiful, as all of Voldemort's creations were, in that strange twist of fortune. Voldemort was evil to the core, yet he still had a strange sort of twisted artistic sense that prompted him to create in the image of beauty. 

Lystra's own face was a perfect image. Her skin was smooth and unblemished, her eyes bright turquoise and framed with long black eyelashes, and her lips were full and perfectly curved. Her hair, long and black, fell to her back in a silky sheet. She had a figure and took full advantage of it; she would need it for this assignment. 

This assignment: the ultimate one. Lystra could not hide the grin of glee on her face. Out of all his creations, out of all his loyal subjects, he had chosen her: proving her the most loyal, the most talented. Oh, when she accomplished this, she was going to be the most famous Death Angel of them all! Voldemort would take her as his queen, and she would finally get to see how the great Dark Lord kissed his most loyal subjects...

She got dreamy-eyed just thinking about it. Voldemort, the most perfect creation, needed her in his moment of glory. She had the ultimate mission. 

To kill Harry Potter. 

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Harry grinned gleefully as they neared the station. Finally! The Christmas break was over! Dumbledore had insisted he go back and visit the Dursleys over the winter holidays, in light of the recent tangle he and Hermione had had with the Dark Lord. 

Hermione ... he had missed her over the holidays very much. A misty look fell over his face as he pictured her at the station, waiting for him .. a smile on her face, her arms outstretched .. 

He laughed at himself and pushed the image away. Hermione was the independent type, the kind he'd always feared he'd fall in love with. One of those can-do females that were indignantly insulted when you offered to help her out of the car. He grinned at the image. Still, Hermione was a special kind of girl .. 

He had first wondered nervously how Ron would take their newfound relationship. But when he and Hermione had come back from their encounter with Voldemort in the past, Ron had grinned at them from Lavender's arms. It was apparent that the cozy little three-person relationship was slowly falling apart, giving way to a new phase, when couples began to form. It wasn't destroying their friendship, it was making it stronger, in a strange way. 

Uncle Vernon's car screeched to a halt outside King's Cross. "Get out, boy," he snarled, having been in a bad mood since Harry's last incident with magic .. which had ended up with shampoo bubbling out of Dudley's ears for a week. "I'll not be coddling you. I think you can make it to that platform without me." 

Harry pulled his trunk and Hedwig's cage out of the car, started to say, "Thank-" 

But Uncle Vernon had already driven off. 

Harry shrugged, grinned, and headed inside to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. 

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Hermione gave each of her parents a kiss on the cheek as they escorted her to the Hogwarts Express's station. Her mom grinned at her. "Can't wait to meet this Harry," she whispered to Hermione, winking. 

Hermione blushed and grinned right back at her mother. "You'll love him to death, Mom. He's the greatest boy."

"So was your father .. till I discovered that nasty habit of his leaving underwear on the floor." 

Her father frowned playfully at her mother as he handed Hermione her bags. "You were wonderful too,_ dear,_" he said, "that is, until I discovered you had this _thing_ about underwear on the floor .. my college roommates never minded!"

Her mother and father both broke into laughter and kissed each other. Hermione listened with a smile on her face, loving the sound of their mirth... it was so wonderful to have a family .. 

Then, of course, Harry appeared at her elbow, reminding her of how it was to be family-deficient. He laid a hand on her arm, his face full of happiness. "Hi, Hermione," he whispered, in a voice that gave her happy chills, and kissed her lightly on the nose. 

"Harry," Hermione said in a loud voice, "I'd like to introduce you to my parents." 

Harry smiled winningly and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you. You've done a great job raising Hermione -- your daughter's a great kisser."

Hermione blushed. Harry squeezed her with a mischievous grin. Her father winked.

"It's almost time to go," said a new voice. Ron was there, Lavender on his arm. 

"Love is in the air," said Hermione's father. 

"What?"

"Never mind." Hermione's father and mother took turns hugging her, then stepped back as Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Lavender climbed into the scarlet train. 

"Bye, Mom!" Hermione called, dashing into a compartment and waving furiously out the window. 

"Bye, Hermione!" her parents called in unison, as the Hogwarts Express whistled loudly and began to slowly chug away from the station. 

Harry and Hermione settled down in the compartment as the train slipped into the familiar rumble that meant the engine was working. Lavender and Ron, with a wink, left to find their own compartment. 

Harry helped Hermione heave their trunks into the overhead compartment and together they sat down. At first, Harry talked a little, but she could see he was tired, so eventually she let him rest his head on her shoulder. 

"Thank you, Hermione," he whispered half-asleep before he dropped off, and Hermione was suddenly struck by how different he looked. Before he left for the holidays, he had looked better. 

It was probably those awful Dursleys, she thought. Let him have a few days on Hogwarts food and care and he'll be fine .. but she couldn't help thinking it was something different. Why was he so tired? 

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Harry was embarrassed to have appeared so exhausted that he couldn't stay awake to talk to Hermione, but the tiredness was overwhelming, and it was so nice to fall asleep on someone who cared about him .. it was an entirely new experience. 

It wasn't the Dursleys that had been taking it out of him (though they certainly hadn't helped); it was the nightmares that had been overtaking him since he had had his last Voldemort encounter. Time and time again he re-lived the weirdness of waking up out of a trance and finding Hermione there, saving his butt yet again. 

But the dreams were worse; instead, they showed him what might have happened if Hermione's yells hadn't "woken" him - her death, his death, and the destruction of himself as a baby - undoing all the good that had been done since then. It troubled him. He knew he was a target, had heard Dumbledore's warnings, but yet he still had that creeping feeling that if Hermione had been captured, that he would have destroyed himself rather than see her hurt. 

It was a staggering feeling. 

But he found that he had less dreams when he fell asleep surrounded by people he loved. It was especially strong with Hermione; it was like she had a sort of defiance and bravery that shielded him from the bad dreams. 

"I love you, Hermione," he said, the words out of his mouth unconsciously, as his head dropped onto her shoulder and he drifted into blessed dreamless sleep. 

I really do love her, he thought. I'm in danger .. so is she .. 

But at the moment, they were together, and he couldn't ask any more of life. 

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Hermione smiled down at the sleeping Harry. She had always loved it when he fell asleep by her .. some kind of maternal feeling that made her fond of him when he slept. She smoothed his hair gently, and he smiled in his sleep. That made her smile too. 

Suddenly, the compartment door flew open, and a girl stood in the doorway. She was their age, and looked rather angry. Her face cleared as she looked down at the pair. 

Harry woke with a start, and Hermione felt a stab of anger towards the girl for waking him. He'd been sleeping so nicely, and needed it so much too. 

"Wha?" Harry said, sitting up and straightening his glasses. "Who're you?" he said, staring at the girl in the doorway. 

She was beautiful, Hermione suddenly thought. She had long black hair gathered up into an artfully artless bun, with long-lashed turquoise eyes and perfect skin. She was dressed in a very low-cut turquoise top and a long black skirt that showed off very well her perfect figure. 

"Uh, hi," said the girl, in a smooth seductive voice, "I'm sorry. It's just, all the other compartments are taken, and-"

"That's OK," said Hermione, though she didn't mean it. "You can sit with us, if you want. I haven't seen you before. What's your name?"

"I'm Lystra," said the girl. "I'm a transfer from Durmstrang. I'm supposed to be a sixth year here." With a flash of long legs she settled herself, to Hermione's annoyance, between Harry and Hermione. 

"That means you're with us!" Harry said, looking oddly at her. 

"Sixth years too? Oh, how delightful," Lystra said, batting her eyelashes at Harry. Hermione decided she didn't like the girl. 

"You speak very well," Hermione said coolly. "I had a friend who came from Durmstrang, and he had a very heavy accent. You don't seem to have one at all."

"Oh, me? No. I'm a native here. My parents live here, they just sent me to Durmstrang. Until the new headmaster came, and they didn't like him. So they sent me here."

Hermione pursed her lips. "Who was the new headmaster?" she asked carefully. "I understand Karkaroff quit. Who did they replace him with?"

Lystra never faltered. "I actually don't know. My parents wouldn't tell me, they just withdrew me as soon as they heard." 

"Oh." Hermione leaned back against the seat, unable to think of anything else to drill her with. 

"So who are you?" asked the girl. 

"I'm Harry Potter," Harry spoke up, "and this is Hermione Granger."

"Harry Potter, eh?" Lystra said with interest, ignoring Hermione. "Mind if I see your scar?"

"Uh, sure." 

Lystra leaned into Harry as he lifted his bangs. "I see," she said, taking an unusual amount of time to examine it. "Yes, I suppose you're him!" She leaned back, and Harry dropped his bangs. "Interesting, very interesting."

Hermione said nothing. She was disliking this girl more and more with every moment. 

And so they spent the rest of the train ride, listening to Lystra. By the end, Hermione was quite sick of her, and rather hurt that Harry hadn't made any attempt to curb her flirting with him. He wasn't quite encouraging her, but he wasn't quite discouraging her, either. 

Ron and Lavender appeared at their compartment, looking refreshed and giddy. Hermione got up quickly, and Harry followed suit. Lystra was the last to get up, arranging herself so that not _too_ much skin showed. 

"Ron, Lavender, I'd like to introduce you to Lystra," Hermione said, as the pair shot her a quizzical look. "She's a transfer student here from Durmstrang."

Ron looked her up and down, and managed to keep from whistling. Lavender tightened her hand on his arm, and Hermione knew exactly how she felt. 

"Let's go," Ron managed at last, in a rather dry voice. "They'll be waiting for us.."

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Lystra could not avoid a quick grin of glee as she climbed into the rickety carriages, taking care to use the chance to flash her long legs. It was all a game, and she was winning the first round. 

That Hermione, the one with the brown hair, was the one she had to separate from Potter. It was, according to Voldemort, their bond that had let them get away last time. 

Shouldn't be too hard, she thought, looking hard at Hermione. She is pretty, but I'm betting she doesn't know it, or else she'd have done something with her hair. They're pretty deep in love, but there's no couple that can survive me .. She grinned evilly, and no one caught the glint in her eyes as she looked at Potter and Granger, and planned their demise. 

  
  


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_I know it's awful and cheesy and boring, but at least review and say so! And for anyone who actually wants to know what happens next, reviews WILL make the next part come faster!! Be kind, rewind -- er um, review! -CM_


	2. Seeds of Discord

_A/N: *Sniffs miserably* I didn't get hardly any reviews for last chapter! I'm so depressed! I mean, I thought it wasn't as good as Hermione's Big Day, but not _that_ bad! *grins* No, that's okay....I can deal with this ... Anyways, regardless, here's chapter two. A small bit better than last chapter, but still not as good as the story _will_ be, I promise. It _does_ get better. I swear. On to the story! -CM_

  
  


*

Harry took a seat next to Hermione for the carriage ride back to the castle, and she was partly reassured. Having him next to her was a comfort in itself. 

She didn't like Lystra, and there was nothing to back it up. No proof at all. It wasn't like Hermione to dislike someone without a reason, but she did. The girl just radiated coldness. 

I wonder how they're going to sort Lystra? she thought, looking hard at her. Will they use the Sorting Hat again? I hope she's not in Gryffindor. Slytherin seems more like it.

The cart bumped its way to the Hogwarts Castle, and stopped in front of it. They got out, one by one, Lystra last. She looked around her surroundings, taking it in in the traditional analyzing manner that had made her famous - who knew when she would have to know her way around? 

Mentally she reviewed Voldemort's orders. He had explained to her what happened last time they'd met Voldemort: they had gotten away because of the bond between them. There was apparently some kind of stronger force even then Avada Kedavra, a force that Harry and Hermione drew on without realizing it - love. The same that had saved Harry years ago in the first attack on his parents, different form, but just as powerful.

But to separate them would be to leave them helpless. One without the other was useless. 

"How are they going to Sort you, Lystra?" said a sandy-haired boy who was looking very distracted at the sight of her low-cut top. 

"I don't know," Lystra lied, working worry into her voice. Acting time, she thought. 

But her master had already made sure that Lystra would be well supplied for in the matter of Sorting. 

They lead her up to the castle's front doors and entered. The Great Hall was fairly big, but not nearly as big as the one at Voldemort's castle. She got homesick just thinking about it. The birthplace of the Death Angels, it was, and always seemed like home to her. 

Everyone was acting like they thought she'd be impressed (pitiful, she thought) so she put on her best face of wonder. "Wow.." she whispered. "It's so much bigger than our Durmstrang one!"

Good, she thought to herself as they all turned away in smiles. 

There were five large tables set up in the Great Hall. The students all seemed to know what to do: but most stopped before going to their house table and stared at the fifth table. "What's that for?" - "Where are the first years?" - and the most common, "Where's the Sorting Hat?"

Lystra smiled cruelly to herself. 

"Sit with the first years," instructed a stern-looking woman in emerald-green robes to Lystra. She did so. 

Once the older students were seated at their House tables, a line of young-looking wizards filed in to sit at the fifth table. The older students stared at them, obviously puzzled, but turned as a tall wizard in blue stars-and-moons robe stood up and cleared his throat. 

That must be Dumbledore, thought Lystra. 

"I can see you are all curious about this turn of events," Dumbledore said, and he didn't look as buoyant and excited as usual. "I'm afraid that the method of Sorting students, the Sorting Hat, has been destroyed."

There was a gasp from the Hall. Students everywhere were staring at Dumbledore with big, concerned eyes. Destroyed? they seemed to whisper among themselves. How? By who?

Lystra smiled to herself. 

"So, this year, students will be sorted according to data collected by Professor McGongagall's very special quill. It has the same magical properties as the Sorting Hat, but we have never had to use it before." He looked down at his plate and sighed, then picked a roll of parchment up from the table. 

"The following students are in Hufflepuff: .."

He went on and on, down the list, until the first years had all joined their respective tables, except for Lystra. Lystra waited patiently. 

"And," said Dumbledore, his face lighting, "this year is a very special one, for we have a transfer student here from Durmstrang itself. Please, all of you welcome Lystra Riddle!" 

_Riddle? _Harry stiffened at the Gryffindor table. So did Ron, and Ginny. _Must be just a coincidence .. _

"As we do not have the same magical information about Lystra, we have decided to put her in the Gryffindor house, as according to her previous record at Durmstrang. Will all of you welcome her, please, and help her find her way to her classes?" 

The last few words were drowned out by a storm of clapping and applause from the Gryffindor table. Catcalls were mixed in. Lystra stood and walked smoothly to the Gryffindor table, allowing herself a sexy little smile. 

"And now that that's done, it's time to eat!"

*

Hermione didn't have to show Lystra to the Gryffindor common room; nearly the entire Gryffindor male population was offering. There wasn't a single female Gryffindor without a scowl on her face, and many of the girls in other houses were angry too -- Lystra's lure didn't just reach the Gryffindor boys. Lystra seemed to absorb the anger, though, and smiled at it. 

Maybe tomorrow will be different, thought Hermione, yawning as she climbed into bed. After all, today was a really tiring day. That girl can't be a mystery for too long. 

And with that thought, she climbed beneath the covers and fell asleep. 

She never noticed Lystra slipping out from the girl's dorm and into a quiet corner of the Gryffindor common room, where she reached for the small black pearl ring she always wore on her hand, signifying her as a Death Angel, higher order. It began to glow faintly - the signal that he wanted to talk to her.

She blew gently on the pearl, and in miniature, Lord Voldemort's image appeared inside the pearl. 

"Have you gotten in?" he asked in that charmingly cold voice of his. 

"Yes," Lystra answered, her eyes flaming red as she looked at him. "I'm here, and I'm in the Gryffindor common room. Our plan is underway. 

"I will succeed, my Master. And first on the list: down with Potter and Granger's 'friendship.' "

  
  


*

Harry looked cautiously around. Where was he? He could see nothing but blackness around him. 

Then Hermione appeared out of nowhere and he spun to face her. She was in her pajamas, looking like she had leapt out of bed, not bothering to brush her hair or dress properly. Her hair was disheveled and she looked panicked. "Harry?" she called in a small, pitiful voice. 

"Hermione?" he said, holding out his arms to her. "What's wrong, why are you so sad?"

But she looked past him as if he wasn't there, and stumbled past him. 

Around him the blackness resolved itself into a familiar Great Hall. He was suddenly standing in the middle of the floor. The tables had been pushed to the side and the Hall was draped in black. 

Hermione ran past him and he stared after her as she stumbled towards the front of the Great Hall, where the teachers' table usually stood. But instead, it was draped in black, and someone was lying atop it, surrounded by candes. 

Hermione was crying, he could see now, as she went up the steps to the table. Her strides faltered and she fell to her knees at the side of the figure lying atop the teachers' table. 

Harry came closer. His heart gave a funny jolt as he caught sight of the figure lying motionless. 

It was himself. 

Harry stared, astonished, at the other-Harry who was still and pale atop the table. The other-Harry was dead. 

_What the hell is going on??_

Hermione sobbed, her tears running down her face in streams, at the other-Harry's side. He longed to go to her and tell her he wasn't dead and take her in his arms and comfort her, but he couldn't move. He was frozen. Slowly, other mourners, all in black, began to file in. Dumbledore led the procession. His face was gray and lined, and full of a deep sadness. The perpetual hope in his face had gone, and he looked extremely frail and old. 

_Dumbledore, can't you see me?_ Harry pleaded. _I'm not dead - why can't anyone see?_

Ron and Lavender, their faces likewise tear-streaked, came up to Hermione and each took one of her arms. She looked up at them and burst into fresh tears, but let them lead her down the steps and away from the other-Harry's body. 

"Hermione, it's me!" he screamed, waving frantically at her. 

She didn't react. 

He was standing there in despair, trying to figure out how to get to her, when from behind him came a low laugh. 

He whirled. The new girl, Lystra, was standing at the other-Harry's body and looking down at him with a triumphant glint in her eyes. She threw her head back and laughed maniacally; the sound hurt Harry's ears. 

But no one else saw her, no one else raised their heads as they filed past the altar. She must be in the same situation as me, Harry thought. "Lystra?" he said to her. 

She didn't hear him, same as the others. He slumped in despair. 

But she was doing something odd .. stooping and touching the scar on the other-Harry's pale forehead .. and with a blast of flame - Harry scrambled backward in alarm - the full figure of Lord Voldemort appeared. 

Harry gasped and stared up at the Dark Lord, who was throwing his head back in gleeful laughter the same way as Lystra. He stood beside the new girl, tall and skeletal in black robes, the same way Harry remembered him from his fourth year. 

Lystra smiled, her eyes flaming red as she lifted her wand. 

Voldemort lifted his in unison, and together they began to chant something. Harry had never heard of the weird rhyme they were speaking..

"Foe vanquished - the leader gone, the people mourn ..."

"Love of the foe - silenced, her voice lovelorn ..."

_What - Lystra? Voldemort? _Harry fell back as the scar on his forehead burned like it had never before. "Hermione!" he screamed - 

And woke up. 

For a long moment he sat bolt upright in bed, sweat dripping off his brow, staring into the snowy woods outside his window. 

Then, slowly, exhaustion overtook him, and he fell back on his pillows into a dreamless sleep. 

And when he woke the next morning, he did not remember any part of the dream. 

*

_Soooo....cliched? Awful? Not worth the disk space it's taking up? I SWEAR it'll get better!!! ;) Reviews would be terribly appreciated. Cyas! ~CM_


	3. Suspicion

_A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed, here is the next chapter. ;) It's getting better....I hope....at least, things are getting a bit more interesting. Hope you like it, and I wanted to do personal notes for everyone who took the trouble to review, so here they are. _

**Hagrid** - yeah, I think I was on a bit of a high when I wrote that. ^_^; **Sying Kei-Rane** - Well, I wouldn't be so sure about Lystra being harmless to HH relationships...** PEZ** - Thanks so much for always reviewing, I remember you from HBD! It does wonders for my ego. ;) **Davita** - Just wait... Unfortunately I have a penchant for happy endings...so it kind of spoils the suspense. ;) **Sweet Angel** - Here it is! **hermione potter** - The "Chocolat" fic is in the works.... it's kind of cute but I want to do a bit more work on it before I post it. **Brent!** - Okay! ;) **Nightfall** - hope Lystra is evil enough for you. **anya** - Harry can't get the dream yet! It's a major plot device! **Jess** - Sorry this took so long but I hope you like it! **Rooty Beer** - interesting name, and here it is! **Kiara Ananda** - Ack! Plot hole! Plot hole! HELP!! I need a beta-reader! **Eugenia** - Flattery! Ack! ;) **Junho** - I'm glad you think it's fun, I was afraid it was getting boring. 

On with the story! ~CM

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The next morning, Hermione brushed her hair as usual and showered before she came out, her hair dripping wet, and saw Lystra on the edge of her bed, and remembered with a jolt the events of the day before. 

"Morning," Lystra said unemotionally. She was already dressed and her hair perfectly braided into a coil around her head. 

"Uh, hi," Hermione said. "Listen, uh, I don't mean to pry, but do you have a boyfriend?"

"What?" said Lystra sharply, looking up at her.

"You know," said Hermione, feeling foolish, "a boyfriend. It just seems weird that a girl like you doesn't have one."

Lystra was silent for a long while. "A boy," she said, "my first love, was named Riddle. I took his name when he died, for we were to have been married."

"Oh," Hermione said, startled. "Do you mind telling me how he died?"

"Voldemort."

Hermione stared at her. The only other person, besides Harry and Dumbledore, she'd heard say the Dark Lord's name. 

"Oh," she said again at last, and started to dress. 

Parvati came in, her hair already up in a ponytail. "Lystra, you got any makeup?" she yawned. "I left mine at home."

Lystra silently reached under her bed, came out with a large box and handed it to Parvati, who yawned again and began to search through the various bottles. 

"Let's see .. ooh, nice eyeshadow color, I gotta get the store where you got it from you sometime .. Hey, you haven't got any lipstick!"

Lystra shrugged. She got up and left. 

Hermione headed down to breakfast a short time later, still mulling over what Lystra had said. Had she really been engaged to a boy named Riddle? Was it a coincidence that the boy had the same last name as Voldemort?

When she came down to the Gryffindor table, Lystra was sitting and flirting with half the Gryffindor boys and a fair amount of the boys in other Houses. Some grieving widow, thought Hermione grumpily as she sat down near Harry. 

"So what's up?" said Harry, watching her eat. 

"Lystra," she answered through a mouthful. "I don't think she's exactly who she says she is. I mean, she told me this morning that she was engaged to a boy who was killed by You-Know-Who and that she took his name when he died. Riddle. But she's not exactly acting like a lovestruck widow, is she?" Hermione said, gesturing at Lystra, who was smiling dazzingly at Ernie MacMillian and tickling Seamus Finnigan's chin at the same time. 

"Aw, lay off her, Hermione," Harry said. "Why do you always have to be so suspicious?"

"I'm not, that's the point!" Hermione cried, exasperated. "I'm usually NOT suspicious! But Lystra - well, she just gives me the creeps!"

"That's ridiculous - how can she give you _the creeps?_ She's just a normal witch - except she's beautiful. Is that what's bothering you? That she's prettier than you?"

Hermione gaped at him. "Harry - how can you be so insensitive? That's not the reason at all!"

"Sure." Harry grabbed his plate angrily and went to sit at the other end of the table, with Ron and Lavender. 

Hermione sat there, feeling anger coursing through her. There WAS something screwy about Lystra - why couldn't anyone see it?? Harry was normally a very reasonable person! It was like Lystra cast a cloud over everyone. 

Lystra got up. She was wearing a very sheer blouse and thigh-length skirt. Hermione became suddenly aware of the fact that she was in an old pair of faded jeans and tye-dyed T-shirt her cousin had made in second grade. Lystra's hair was perfect, her hair was perfect, her mannerism was perfect .. it wasn't right, somehow. 

Am I really just jealous? Hermione wondered as Lystra passed her without a glance. 

*

  
  


Lystra's eyes glowed as she looked into the black pearl ring. "My Lord, I have done it," she whispered gleefully. "Potter and Granger were mad at each other this morning at breakfast. I saw them argue and Potter left to sit with another friend."

Voldemort's face, miniature but powerful, darkened. "Lystra," he said ominously, "have I not taught you about caution? If you go immediately after Potter, Granger will become suspicious. From our contact within the school, we know she is too smart for her own good."

Lystra was silent, chastened and red as a beet. 

"Go after someone else," Voldemort said as his voice faded. "Master your control upon the school. Then go after Potter."

Voldemort's face dissolved from the pearl as the door to the girl's dormitory was flung open and Lavender, Hermione, and Parvati came in together. Lystra eyed them sullenly from the bed, still smarting from Lord Voldemort's sharp disapproval. 

"What's up with you?" Lavender said as they came in. "You look like you just lost your best friend. Not that a girl like you needs one, with all the boys she can get."

Hermione elbowed Lavender warningly. "We're here to find out more about her, remember," she whispered, "not to start chewing at her!"

"Right," Lavender whispered back. 

"Seriously," said Parvati warmly, sitting down next to Lystra. "What's up?"

"Nothing that would interest you." Lystra looked coldly at Parvati.

"Sheesh, Ice Queen," Lavender said, sitting down on Lystra's other side. "Warm up a little. You're gonna be stuck with us for a while. What's eatin' you?"

You have no idea, Lystra thought sourly. 

"Hey, it's not like we're strangers to hurt," Hermione encouraged. "Just this morning Harry and I fought." It stabbed her sharply to mention it so casually. Their first fight .. and it had hurt. Harry had come up to her afterward and apologized - that was so like Harry - and they were friends again, but the knowledge that something could come between them so easily - Hermione broke off her train of thought and looked at Lystra. 

"It is not important," Lystra said after a moment. "Don't we have classes to go to?"

"Uh, yeah," Parvati said, "but it's not like it's a big deal to miss Potions - yeah. Great way to start off Lystra."

"Potions?" 

"One word. Snape. He'll make your life miserable and beyond."

_Snape_. The word cut through Lystra's thoughts and focused them sharply on Parvati next to her. Snape, the one living delinquent Death Eater .. Karkaroff was dead, of course .. and that only left Snape. Voldemort hated that man.

"All right," Lystra said, standing up. "Let's go. You can show me the way."

So they followed her up and out the door. As they left, Lavender shot Hermione a 'we-tried' look. Hermione shrugged. "Next time," she mouthed. 

Ten minutes later, they were outside Snape's dungeon. Lystra looked around. "Pleasant place." She meant it for real, but the girls took it for sarcasm.

"Yeah, I know," Lavender giggled. "It weirds me out every time I see it, what with all the things floating in jars.."

They followed Lystra into the dungeon and sat down beside her as she took a seat at the front of the class. "Are you sure you want to sit here?" Parvati warned. "With Snape - it's best for Gryffindors to sit at the back of the class."

Lystra gave her a puzzled look as Snape came in. "Whyever would that be?" In truth, she wanted to get a better look at Snape, the traitor who had betrayed so many Death Eaters and lived to tell. 

Snape came in, frowning at a sheet in his hands. "Well, well. Once again, we have Potions together, Gryffindors. And who is this?" he caught sight of Lystra. "Our new Gry-"

But suddenly, his mouth went slack and he froze, staring at Lystra in shock. On her left hand was a small black pearl ring - the symbol of Voldemort's most elite female followers, Death Angels.

He gaped at the ring and the class gaped at him. Never before had he done such a thing for a Gryffindor, not even for Harry Potter.

Lystra stared coolly back at him.

Snape shook his head abruptly. It couldn't be - it couldn't be. Not here, in this school. What would a Death Angel be doing here in Potions? The girl must've gotten the black pearl ring from some Muggle shop. He cleared his throat and continued. "Your name would be Lystra Riddle?"

"Yes," said Lystra. 

"And how far were you in Potions at Durmstrang?"

"Highest level, sir. Potions is my best subject." Lystra smiled to herself. It was only stretching the truth a little. Her major had been in _Poisons_, not Potions. 

"Very well. Then you'd know the ingredients to a Shattering Solution?"

Nice try, Snape. "Bison tail hair, Invisible Chokevines, four pints of toad mucus, and ground dragon's teeth."

Snape was wordless for a moment. Then abruptly, he snapped his mouth shut. "All right then, you should be prepared to make it! Get out your cauldrons, all of you, and begin immediately. The ingredients are set out at the back table." There were groans, but Snape did not hear them, as he was sweeping off to the headmaster's office. 

Dumbledore looked up as he entered. "Problems, Severus?" he asked pleasantly, scribbling at something in a thick old book. 

Snape hesitated. He felt kind of stupid, but .. "I think the new transfer student may be affiliated with Voldemort."

Dumbledore stopped scribbling and looked at him over the tops of his glasses. "And what makes you think that?"

"She - well, she wears a ring in the traditional style of a Death Angel."

"Pray explain what a Death Angel is, Mr. Snape."

Snape sighed and sat down on one of the chairs. "Not many know about the Death Angels. They were the elite female squad of Voldemort's creation. He created them himself, in experiments with life and death, and they are all consequently both beautiful and deadly. Each has been trained profusely in killing and secrecy."

Dumbledore frowned and tapped the quill on his chin, causing ink spots to splatter onto his beard, but he didn't seem to notice. 

"And you think Lystra Riddle is one?"

"Yes. She wears a ring on her left hand that is the mark of a Death Angel - a black pearl. It's supposed to have some sort of power, but we Death Eaters never knew much about them."

The headmaster looked down at the huge old book he was reading and sighed. "I want to believe you, Severus, but I can't throw her out because of vague suspicions."

Snape sighed. _I didn't think he was going to believe me._ "Just - keep an extra eye on her, all right?"

Dumbledore nodded. 

As Snape got up to leave, he paused and turned at the door. "And," he said pointedly, "if she really does turn out to be a Death Angel, she will be in the same dormitory as Harry Potter."

He left. 

Dumbledore sighed and put his head down on his desk.

Fawkes piped a single soft, mournful note.

*

A/N: Is the font more readable? Have you lost the plot? Is it moving too slowly? Does it seem confusing? And above all, ARE THERE ANY PLOT HOLES? ;) I seriously need a beta reader. Toodle-oo! ~CM (P.S.: As advertised above, reviews mean the world to me.....AND you get a personal note on the next one! 

  
  



	4. The First Victim

_A/N: Thank you so much to all who reviewed last chapter! It makes my day. Sorry this one took so long,but I was on spring break the last week. Once again, personal notes are dispensed to all who review: _

**_Kiara Ananda_**_ - I applaud your consistent liking of my stories even though (even I must admit this) they sometimes suck. ;) It really means a lot to me! **Me Myself and I **- Thank you SO much for beta-reading. How did I ever get along without beta-readers?** simplefan** - Wow, you're one of my favorite authors, you actually reviewed my story! *cheers* **ChaserOfDreamsWisherOfStars** - Well, when it comes to the students, I think Dumbledore's pretty protective. He may not really be inclined to believe Snape...yet. ^_^ **ashkickerchic** - My favorite pairing! How did you guess? ;) **Fluff **- here ya go! **Librastar14** - yeah, your name's REALLY Misteria, is it? ;) Has your fic got any more reviews yet? I'll email you about scanning. **Brent!** - I took a bit longer with this chapter 'cause it's my first one that's been beta-read, so hope it's better and enjoy!_ **_Crazy Poet_**_ - You've reviewed HBD! I remember! I'm flattered. ^_^; It's reviewers like you that keep me writing..._ **_Kat_**_ - wow, you're really enthusiastic! ^_^; I love it when people get that into my stories .. ;)_

_This chapter is dedicated to my beta-readers, Me Myself and I and Kiara Ananda - my first taste of beta-ing and I have to say I've loved it! ~CM_

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DEATH ANGEL 

Chapter Four 

_The First Victim_

That night in the common room, Harry and Hermione sat together in front of the fire. Lavender and Ron were in a chair together next to them. No one said anything; they were all thinking about troubling subjects. 

Hermione was worrying that Harry and she weren't the right couple. Maybe they had been mistaken. If they could get in a fight that easily, over a new girl .. 

Harry was trying to think. He knew he'd been having a dream last night, a bad one, but he couldn't remember what it was about. 

Lavender and Ron were both thinking about Lystra. Lavender, in spite of herself, was starting to like Lystra. She had a sarcasm factor to beat even Ron's. 

Just then, Lystra walked in. She came over to the cozy scene in front of the fire. 

"Where've you been?" Hermione asked. 

"Detention," Lystra said. "I had to scrub out the dungeon after hurling that bottle of toad mucus at Snape's head."

Everyone else snorted with laughter, even Hermione. It added another dimension to Lystra's mystery; she seemed like she would've been Slytherin, but yet she hated Snape.

"Come on, sit down," Ron said. 

Lystra's eyes glinted suddenly in the light of the fire. Voldemort had told her to set her sights on splitting up another couple .. and here was a perfect one. Ron and Lavender. Swiftly, she sat down between them and arranged herself so that one of her legs was touching his. 

Ron looked uncomfortable. Lavender looked livid. 

"So," Lystra said smoothly, flashing dazzingly white teeth at Ron, "I hear you're great at chess, Ron."

"Uh, yeah," Ron said, embarrassed yet pleased. "I love to play. I could show you how to sometime, if you like."

"I'm sure you know the best ways to win," Lystra said suggestively. 

Hermione cleared her throat quickly, seeing that Lavender was nearly ready to punch Lystra out. "Yeah, he is pretty good. He helped us beat Professor McGonagall's giant chess set in our first year." 

"Is that so," Lystra smiled. "You must be awfully brave, to do something like that. I know _I_ never could."

Ron shifted uncomfortably. Lavender was fuming, but there was a beautiful sexy girl flirting with him and it was almost beyond him not to accept her invitations. "Uh.. yeah.." he said embarrassedly. "It was really Harry, though, that was the brave one.."

"Oh, we hear enough about Harry's virtues," Lystra said carelessly. "We never hear anything about his close friends!"

Hermione frowned. She was really striking a sensitive spot with Ron, who always felt overshadowed by Harry's name and scar. 

Lavender clutched Ron's arm tighter than ever and growled, "Ron is a really special guy, and he doesn't need you to defend him."

Ron cast a look at her. It was really finishing him off, Hermione could tell, sitting there between two girls who were fighting over him. 

"Yeah?" Lystra said, speaking calmly yet her eyes shooting daggers at Lavender, "Want to keep him all to yourself, eh? Aren't you acting a bit .. _possesive?"_

"Oh, that is IT!" Lavender screamed, leaping up from the scarlet couch. "I can't TAKE this anymore! Ron, if you want to go ahead and make out with Ms. Perfect Sexy Body here, go ahead! I don't give a damn!" She shot a furious glance at Lystra and stomped away, up the stairs to the dormitories. 

Hermione leaped up from the couch too, and Harry looked up at her. "I've got to go talk to her," she explained, though in truth she thought she was about to throw up at Lystra's blatant flirting. She followed Lavender up the stairs. 

Lystra snuggled up to Ron on the couch. "Who cares about her," she said, reaching up and touching Ron's freckles. He looked in suprise down at her. "We can be fine all by ourselves."

Harry got up quickly. "I'll go .. uh, help Hermione," he said, and dashed up the stairs after her. 

When he got to the top, he saw that the door of the girls' dormitory was partly open. Inside, he could see Lavender sobbing into her pillow and Hermione bending over to talk to her. 

"Come on in, Harry," Hermione said, spotting him. 

Cautiously, he came into the girls' dorm and approached the bed where Lavender was crying. 

"She was being so horrible!" Lavender sobbed, her words muffled by the pillow. "And Ron was just sitting there enjoying it! He knew she was flirting with him, and he just sat there and let it happen!"

Hermione cast a helpless glance at Harry, who looked uncomfortable. "It's OK, Lavender," she said, patting Lavender's shoulder. "I'm sure he'll apologize tomorrow, and you two will be back together again."

"No!" Lavender gasped, sitting up straight and clutching her pillow so tight feathers fluttered from it. "No! If he's going to be such a wimp about a pretty face, then maybe it's just as well we broke up!" 

Hermione was shocked. "Oh, Lavender! Do you really mean that? I mean, you two were such a perfect couple!"

She looked up at Harry, who stared back at her with wide eyes. "Come on, Harry, you've got to admit it now! Lystra is bad news! Look at her, what she's done to Lavender and Ron!" 

Harry rolled his eyes, but felt he couldn't really say anything in front of Lavender. Hermione frowned at him and turned back to Lavender.

"Don't say that, Lav. You and Ron have been through harder things than this."

Lavender just shook her head, tears running down her face. "Just let it be, Hermione. I know you always think things always have a perfect ending, but they don't. They don't. I'll get over it." She dived into the pillow again, and her voice was muffled as she said, "Just let me alone. Please."

Hermione, looking concerned, patted her on the back again and rose to leave. "Come on, Harry."

Harry cast one last look at the weeping Lavender and followed her outside. 

*

The news had spread throughout the house by morning, and Lavender emerged from her bed with a red nose and haughty look, as if determined to ignore it. 

Whispers followed her, Ron, and Lystra through the halls, and after breakfast was over, most of the other houses had heard that Ron had dumped Lavender for Lystra. 

"That's not true at all!" Hermione said angrily to a Ravenclaw girl who whispered to her in Charms if it was true that Lavender had found Ron making out with Lystra. 

"Honestly," she said, turning to Harry, who was sitting next to her, "I don't know where people get this stuff! Poor Lavender!"

"Ron doesn't look exactly broken up," Harry said, pointing to Ron, who was sitting next to Lystra and talking animatedly to her, as if trying to prove Lavender. As Harry and Hermione watched, Lystra leaned over and kissed Ron on the nose. He blushed.

"Sickening," said Hermione, turning away. "We've got to get Lav and Ron back together, before this gets out of hand."

"I'd say it has already," Harry said. 

She punched him playfully. "You're no help."

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

She thought. "Talk to Ron. Try and get him to get back with Lavender."

Harry frowned. "That'll just make him mad at me. You know how touchy Ron is about his love life."

Hermione snorted. "Yeah. He's got none. Why is Lystra moving in on him like that? I mean, no offense to Ron, but he's not exactly the type of guy that girls swoon over. Why is she targeting _him?"_

"Don't you think you're being just a tad melodramatic, Hermione?"

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. 

"Class," tiny Professor Flitwick squeaked, "today we are learning about the Power-Absorption spell. It is a very advanced charm, wherein you transfer one being's life-energy and strength to another. Today, you will be practicing it on these small plants."

Before long they each had a pot with a small green weed in it, and were trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to absorb the plant's life-energy. 

"Hermione," Harry complained, turning to her, "can you help me do this? I keep trying, but for some reason I can't!"

"Whoa!" Seamus Finnigan yelled; they both looked up automatically. 

Neville Longbottom was lying on the floor, passed out, with his wand near him. On the table, his plant was rapidly growing, getting thicker and spreading vines across the table. 

"Get this boy up to the hospital wing!" Professor Flitwick ordered, taking Neville's pulse. "He must've performed the opposite spell, the Power-Transfer Spell. He's transfered his strength to the plant instead. He'll be fine in a while."

"The plant!" yelled Lavender, pointing a shaking finger at it. 

The vine was now as thick as a tree trunk; it had anchored itself with a dozen vines to the table, and was waving thick green tentacles menacingly in the air. 

By that evening (they luckily managed to stop the plant before it took over the classroom) the rumor had spread that Ron and Lystra were going out on a date that very night. Hermione doubted it immensely until dinner, when Ron and Lystra walked in arm in arm, and she began to have second thoughts. 

"So.." she said tentatively as the pair sat down together, "is it true, Ron? Are you two going on a date tonight?"

Ron and Lystra beamed at each other and Ron nodded excitedly. "We've worked out a deal with Fred and George. They're going to drop a couple Dung Bombs to keep Filch occupied while we slip out and have a walk along the lake."

"What?" said Hermione so loudly that they all stared at her. "Isn't that a bit dangerous? I mean, with You-Know-Who back?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Hermione," Ron said, stuffing a roll into his mouth. "Whuth can happenth to uth? We wonth go far. Pwomith."

Hermione shook her head. "What's the point in taking chances?" she mumbled, too low for anyone to hear. 

*

  
  


At seven later that night, Hermione watched with a frown on her face as Ron and Lystra giggled, watching Fred and George slip out with grins on their faces. 

"I wonder what Ron's paying them to do this?" Harry said at her elbow. 

She glanced at him. "I don't know..I still don't think this is the greatest idea."

Harry shrugged. Sitting down, he pulled her into his lap. "Hermione," he said, looking earnestly into her eyes, "life's all about taking chances. If you don't risk anything, then you'll never really have lived - don't you see? If Voldemort makes us all afraid to do anything, then he'll have won!"

Hermione sighed. "Once again, the famous Harry Potter bests me in intellect." 

Harry laughed and kissed her on the nose. "Not intellect, Hermione. Just experience."

"Experience," said Hermione, snuggling up beside him, "the one thing I DON'T have."

*

Ron was giddy with excitement. He breathed in the cold, sharp air through his nose, and there was a beautiful girl beside him, laughing flirtatiously.

Finally, there was something he had and Harry didn't.

Lystra. 

He chanced a look into her eyes, and was awed by their beauty. Such a lovely dark turquoise, a blue-green you could fall into. 

Lystra caught him looking and grinned at him, pinching his cheek mischievously. "Now, now," she scolded, smirking, "Ronniekins better watch himself."

Ron managed a half-grin, though his insides were all one joyful sweep of ectasy. She was so beautiful, it was inhuman, Ron thought. 

They wandered along the lake, watching for the giant squid and laughing at each other. Lystra's inky-black hair caught the glints from the water, turning it into rivers of blue. Ron, without thinking, reached out to touch her hair as it waved. 

It was silky, soft, like he had always imagined. Lystra shook her hair out of his grasp and glanced at him playfully. 

"Just wait, Ronniekins, just wait," she said, flashing her teeth in a smile. "There's more in store for you than you ever dreamed of.." 

Lystra loved this. It was so fun. In a few minutes this boy would be totally at her mercy, and he was so unknowing now, it was easy to manipulate his simple mind. I am death, she thought, exalting in the feeling. I am death, all of me, every inch, down to my lips. 

"Uh..okay," the silly red-headed boy said in a kind of awed voice. 

Lystra couldn't help laughing. 

*

Hermione was just dozing off in Harry's arms when she was jerked to life as the portrait swung aside with a crash and a black-haired girl with wild turquoise eyes stumbled through. It was Lystra. 

"Help!" she shrieked in panic, her eyes darting all over and fixing on Harry and Hermione. "Oh, my God, please help me! Ron - it's Ron - he - he -"

Hermione leapt out of Harry's arms and raced for Lystra, catching the girl in her arms as Lystra stumbled and collapsed. 

"Lystra - what's wrong with Ron?" she said urgently. "Where is he?"

Lystra stared wild-eyed at her. Her hair was in a mess and her lipstick smudged. "Ron-" she gasped. "Oh, Ron--"

Harry was suddenly at her side, bending over Lystra too. "Lystra, where is Ron?" he said, calmly but firmly. 

"Outside," Lystra mumbled, closing her eyes and seemingly trying to shrink into herself. 

Harry leapt up and raced for the portrait hole. In a second, he was gone. 

"Lystra - you'll be all right," Hermione promised, propping her against a chair and sprinting after Harry. 

She scrambled out the portrait hole and looked wildly around. Outside! Where was the nearest door? 

Thinking quickly, Hermione whirled and headed for the entrance hall. She dashed down the stairs and flew across the marble floors of the Great Hall, praying to God that Ron was all right. The doors burst open before her at a wild flick of her wand. 

The lawn was covered in melting snow, and the night air was frigid. Hermione shivered as she scanned the grounds, searching for any sign of Ron or Harry .. 

Down by the lake, two figures. She spotted them and, letting out a yell, ran for them as fast as she could. 

When she arrived, shaking in the cold, she found Harry bending over an unconscious Ron, trying to wake him. Ron was stretched out on the grounds, his eyes shut and his face slack, yet his fingers clutched tightly at his sides. His lips, Hermione saw with a chill, were looking an eerie mottled green in the reflection from the lake. 

"Oh, no," Hermione whispered, dropping to her knees at Ron's side. "Dear God, what happened to him?"

"I don't know!" Harry choked, turning his frantic eyes on her. "I don't know what's wrong with him!" 

"Harry- calm down!" she yelled at him, placing a hand on his back. "Now, pick him up," she instructed, once Harry had been quieted a bit. "You need help?"

"No," Harry assured her, Ron's limp body in his arms. 

"Now - let's get him to the castle!" she said. 

Harry broke into a run, slipping and sliding on the melting snow, and Hermione followed him all the way back up to the castle. 

*

_A/N: Hahahaha! I'm resorting to my old continual habit - cliffies. What can I say? They're extremely addictive. That, my friends, is the definitive chapter ... I've taken the liberty of (oh, this was so much fun!) distributing a mystery into the chapters. The first clue was planted earlier, but they'll all add up to Lystra's secret ... her method of killing. It's a very small inconsistency, and I doubt anyone'll find it, but 500 points to anyone who does! ;) Happy hunting, and cya!_

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	5. Illuminations

A/N: Read on to find out if your guesses are right! Sorry this took so long; my Internet connection broke down (and still is broken down). This is a bit of an experiment, I hope it works! If it does I promise to get the next chapters ready faster. 

**Davita** - I love my enthusiastic readers! ;) Don't worry, as I said before, I have a penchant for happy endings so it's a bit predictable. **Me Myself and I** - I must thank you. You have discovered my deepest, most darkest secret. I don't use Grammar Check. I hate it. ;) *shrinks* Why are YOU complaining? You've got the next chapter much sooner than anyone else! **Celestial Princess** - Why thank you. Here 'tis! **Linz** - good guess .. VERY good guess .. how did so many people figure it out? I thought I hid it better than that! About the betareading, I think I'm OK for now, but I'll email you once I get used to the constant (but helpful!) criticism. **Jamari **- *Bows* Thank you. **Eugenia** - I will be emailing you very, very soon. **RingWraith** - *mouth falls open* You're kidding, right? ;) I emailed you. Cya!

On with the story!

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DEATH ANGEL

  
  
  
  


"Is he going to be all right?" were the first words out of Hermione's mouth as Ron's still body was laid out on a hospital-wing bed. 

Madame Pomfrey glanced irritably at her, lifting Ron's wrist to take his blood pressure. "I'm going to do my best, young lady."

You'd think she'd know my name after all the times Harry and I've been in the hospital wing, Hermione thought grumpily. 

Harry hadn't said anything in a long time. He was staring at Ron's white face in a pained kind of stupor. "Ron," he whispered, shaking Ron's shoulder, "Ron, wake up!"

Madame Pomfrey looked angrily over her shoulder at him. "Leave him alone, please!" she snapped at him. "That's not going to help!"

Harry backed silently away from Ron, his eyes paralyzed, and Hermione felt a rush of anger at the nurse. Don't be so hard on him! she thought, he's just lost his best friend!

The door to the infirmary was burst open yet again, and Dumbledore stood there, his eyes betraying his alarm. "Pomfrey," he said, sweeping over to Ron's bedside, "how is he?"

"I don't know," she said, and Dumbledore looked at her in surprise. 

"I don't know what the cause is at all!" she said helplessly. "He's just fine - there's no signs of a bruise to his head that might have caused unconsciousness, there's nothing in his windpipe that might have cut off his air supply, there's no signs of internal injury or external injury at all .. there's nothing wrong with him at all."

Harry, Hermione, and Dumbledore all stared at her. 

She threw up her hands and said weakly, "I don't know, Albus!"

Yet again, the door banged open and there stood Dean, who was supporting Lystra. Lystra looked weakly up and when she caught sight of Ron's body, she let out a scream and hurled herself from Dean's arms. 

"Ron!" she sobbed, grabbing Ron's hand and clutching it as if it was her only lifeline. "Ron, my poor Ronniekins!"

"Lystra.." said Dumbledore quietly, and Lystra looked up at him almost reluctantly, "I understand you two were on a date. What happened to Ron?"

Lystra let out a fresh sob and wailed, "I don't know! We were just w-walking along the l-lake, and he was about to say s-something but he just collapsed! I don't k-know w-why, I j-just stared at him and r-ran for h-help!"

Dumbledore nodded once, slowly. "I see," he said. 

Hermione stared at Lystra. She had wiped the lipstick smudge off her face and was staring at Ron, her lower lip trembling. Do I believe her? she wondered. She does look pretty broken up - but why would Ron just collapse like that? There's something funny with her story..

"Come on, Lystra," Dumbledore said abruptly, coming forward and helping Lystra to her feet. "Come with me, to my office. I need to talk to you." 

Lystra followed him, sniffling, and cast one terrified look backward as they left the infirmary. 

For the third time, the door banged open. But this time, there stood Lavender, framed in the doorway and looking quite small and fragile. 

"Wha - what's going on?" she said in a small voice. 

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, then parted to reveal Ron, lying motionless on the hospital bed. 

Lavender just stood there, frozen for a few seconds that stretched into years. Then a funny half-sob escaped her throat, and in a flash, she was kneeling at Ron's side, tears streaming down her face. 

Madame Pomfrey, showing the first inkling of human decency Hermione had yet seen in her, did not shoo her away. 

She did, however, shoo Harry and Hermione out. "Go on! Out!" she said. "I need to examine this boy at length!"

She pushed them outside the infirmary and shut the door. 

It was a long time before either of them moved. 

"Harry," Hermione said gently, touching his arm. 

He didn't say anything, just stared down at the floor, tears watering in the corners of his eyes. 

Hermione felt a rush of pity for him, worried about losing his best friend . . . like so many others in his life who had left him. 

"Don't worry, Harry," she said. "Ron'll be OK. He's a tough guy. He'll pull through this, whatever it is."

"I guess so," said Harry at last. 

They stood in silence for a few more moments, and then Hermione made one of the biggest mistakes she had ever made in her life. 

"I guess maybe now he'll be more careful about being alone with Lystra," she said. 

Harry jerked his head up and looked at her with fury suddenly in his eyes. "Why are you blaming this on her?" he yelled, with an abrupt intensity that scared Hermione nearly out of her skin. "Didn't you see her back there?" he waved an arm at the closed door of the infirmary. "She was _terrified!_ For Ron!"

"So maybe she's a good actor!" Hermione said, her pity for him beginning to dissolve as anger at his shortsightedness replaced it. 

"Why the hell would she want to kill Ron?!"

"Don't ask me!" Hermione yelled. "For all we know, she's a Death Eater in disguise and she's planning to murder us next! Haven't you _noticed_ the holes in her story?!"

"What holes?!"

"Well, for one, she comes from Durmstrang, and she doesn't have a trace of an accent!"

"She explained that! She said her parents live here, they just sent her there 'cause they didn't like Hogwarts!" Harry defended. 

"I checked the Durmstrang enrollment list, Harry! There's no _trace_ of anyone named Lystra Riddle!" Hermione screamed. 

"And what made you do that?" Harry folded his arms. "Why are you so suspicious of her? She never did a thing to you!"

"I just -" Hermione stuttered, unable to find words in her rage. "I just- I just don't like her!"

"This is bull," Harry muttered, brushing past her. "I don't know what I thought I ever saw in you, but whatever it is, it's gone now."

"Fine!" Hermione yelled, fury blazing through her. "It's not like you're a wonder to be with all the time! Go find yourself one of your fan club members. I'm sure there's some leggy seventh year that'll suit you just fine."

"Well, thanks for the suggestion!" Harry yelled, and strode away down the corridor and out of sight. 

Hermione stayed where she was, anger buring her cheeks red, for a long time. Then she stalked towards the common room, half-hoping to find Harry there so they could have another screaming match, but when she got there, the common room was empty. 

*

In the morning, Hermione avoided Harry and sat with Parvati at the opposite end of the table. The absence of Ron, however, was more noticable than ever, and there was sobered conversation for the entire meal. 

Lystra was also missing, though Hermione wasn't too sad about that. Her fight with Harry last night had clinched it for her: she was now sure Lystra was up to something. Why else would her spine tingle whenever she looked at her?..

Rumors ran wild, unchecked throughout the school about Ron's attack. Since no one but Lystra knew exactly what had happened (and she wasn't showing her face) there was no one to squelch the rumors, and they got progressively bigger and weirder. Some Ravenclaw girl even claimed to have heard Ron scream just before Lystra stumbled into the Gryffindor common room - Hermione severely doubted this. 

None of them, however, Hermione noticed, indicated Lystra as a suspect. Everyone loved Lystra (except Lavender, who was also missing). It was like a cloud being pulled over everyone's eyes when she was around. 

*

Lystra stayed in her dormitory, pulling the hangings closed around her as a sign of sadness. She flopped upon the bed, fingering her black pearl ring and thinking about contacting Voldemort. 

If she did, it would be merely to hear the sound of his voice; she had failed in her mission. She had not killed that red-haired fool; she had been interrupted, and had to start her acting early. What an annoyance. Still, merely a setback, and it had had its advantages: Potter and Granger had officially broken up. 

Perhaps _nearly_ killing the Weasley boy had served its purpose more effectively than killing him outright. She had been trained to think that killing was the best and only option, but maybe, she thought, this had had more of a pyschological effect - when their friend was just out of reach, alive but not able to talk to them, and when he might die any minute. 

She would have to mention that to Voldemort. 

*

Harry was there again; the Great Hall, facing a dead version of his body upon an altar, the sounds of uncontrolled weeping echoing throughout the Hall. 

But this time, there was a second body there; Ron's. He was still and pale, and his lips and face were an odd greenish color.

"Oh, no, Ron!" Harry said, staring down at the twin bodies being laid out. 

There was a particularly loud sob, and Harry turned to see Hermione again in her pajamas, tear-stricken. She threw herself on the steps to the altar and laid there, her shoulders shaking with sobs. 

"Hermione!" he said again, knowing it was no use. And of course, it wasn't. 

Wait a minute, thought Harry, if there's a dead Ron here, maybe there's another spirit-one like me that I could talk to! 

But there was no Ron in sight. 

What there was, of course, was Lystra: her low-cut green dress splattered with rusty color - dried blood. Harry gasped and took a step back. She was laughing evilly, and her lips were the same eerie green color as her dress. Weird lipstick, Harry thought feverishly. 

And again, she knelt down by the dead Harry and touched the scar on its forehead .. bringing forth the Dark Lord, Voldemort, in a flash of bright light. 

Together they raised their wands, their eyes both burning bright red. Again their voices joined in that eerie chant. But the lines were different ones this time:

"Her power gone with broken heart, She is soon to depart.."

"Friend of the foe - dead, murdered with the dark.."

Harry had no time to try and remember the words, to figure out what they meant, because Voldemort, his eyes flaming, was advancing. With a sweep of his wand he was destroying the mourners, one by one. Dumbledore was last to go; Harry saw with unbelieving eyes that he did not even look up as Voldemort roared the curse. 

He had saved Hermione for last. 

She was crying, and as Dumbledore had done, did not look up as the green burst of light rushed toward her. 

"HERMIONE!" Harry screamed, running towards her as fast as he could. 

But she was already lifeless, tear tracks cold on her cheeks. He felt his own eyes spill over with tears as he lifted her body and hugged her to him. "No, Hermione!" he heard himself cry, choked with sobs. 

He was alone, cradling a lifeless Hermione in a Great Hall full of dead people in black robes. Lystra and Voldemort's laughter cut into his ears, making him scream. 

And as usual, he did not remember the dream when he woke up, tangled in his blanket and tear-streaked. 

*

  
  


Word of mouth traveled even faster, Hermione soon discovered, if it concerned the girlfriend status of Harry Potter. Once the arrow tipped to Available, the floodgates were opened and the race was on to win the heart of the Gryffindor Seeker before someone else did. 

Wherever Hermione went, there were girls excitedly comparing nail polish, squealing over his Seeker stats, exchanging pictures cut out from the various articles about him in the Daily Prophet. It made Hermione sick to her stomach. 

But despite all the enthusiastic efforts by several dozen girls, Hermione noticed that Harry went around with dark-ringed eyes and indifferent comments. 

Lavender had not come down from the hospital wing. After school on Friday, Hermione came to visit Ron and discovered the blonde girl asleep in a chair next to Ron, her head tipping ever so slightly onto his motionless shoulder. 

All in all, their happy little school was going down the drain. 

And it was all Lystra's fault, Hermione thought bitterly. If she had never shown up, Hermione would still be with Harry, Lavender and Ron would still be together, and Ron wouldn't be lying still as death in the infirmary. 

But with Lavender gone, Harry avoiding her eyes, and Ron lying like dead, Hermione was quite alone. She had never gotten along with Parvati, that glamour-obsessed knockout, and it wasn't helping that Parvati had joined the Harry-chasing crowd like so many others. 

So she sat in a corner of the common room, quietly doing her homework, and didn't call attention to herself. The Weasley boys and Neville Longbottom came over to say hi once in a while, for old times' sake, but their presence didn't fill the void. 

And Harry was taking things worse, it seemed; he was like a statue, cold and unresponsive. Dark circles ringed his eyes and Hermione got the feeling he hadn't gotten too much sleep in the last few days. When spoken to he might answer briefly if you were lucky. 

The only time he ever spoke was to Lystra, to talk long in quiet tones with her - which quickly evaporated any pity Hermione might have been feeling for him. How nice - he was clinging closer to the one person who had been with Ron last, and he was making Hermione mad by talking to her alone. 

Lystra, Hermione thought, her hand clenching around her quill and staining her hands with black, though she didn't notice. Lystra, that little... I'd like to have a word with _her_ alone .. well, maybe not a word .. a punch would do it, right in the center of that perfect little pout...

OK, once I start daydreaming about punching Lystra's lights out, it's time to go to bed, Hermione told herself, and gathered up her books to leave.

  
  


Harry lingered longer in the common room, purposely not looking at Hermione as she left and pretending to be deep in conversation with Lystra. 

Lystra, who'd been really nice to him since he and Hermione had broken up. And to tell the truth, he was beginning to get the same feeling as Hermione about her - there was something not quite right, somehow. But she was beautiful, and hanging on his every word, and there was no way he was going to admit Hermione was right about anything. 

That know-it-all. How had he ever liked her? ..

Harry sat down and let out a particularly loud sigh. Whatever he tried to tell himself, he missed Hermione. And to make it worse, there wasn't even Ron to help him laugh at the dozens of followers that were dogging his every step since word got out he was single. 

"What's wrong?" Lystra said concernedly, sitting down beside him and arranging her arms around him. 

Harry shook his head mutely. 

Lystra looked at him; then - very subtly - reached a graceful hand to smooth his hair. 

Harry jerked under her touch - it was making him nervous lately, having other people touch him. Edgy, you're just being edgy 'cause she's so pretty, he told himself. 

"Poor Harry," she whispered into his ear. 

"Yeah," Harry said self-pityingly, slumping lower in the couch. "Lost my two best friends in the same night."

Lystra's hand stopped, but she kept her hand on his head as she said evenly, "Are you sure Hermione really was ever your best friend?"

Harry jerked away from her at this and she stared at him with dark turquoise eyes. "What are you saying?" he demanded. 

"Well, I don't know," Lystra said slowly, keeping her eyes fixed on Harry's. "I mean, she's not really your type, is she? I didn't think you would fall in love with a bookworm like that. Makes you wonder if it was .. _natural_ for you to like her like that."

Harry raised his head and looked at her. "What are you saying - that Hermione made a Love Potion and slipped it into my goblet or something? 'Cause that's exactly what Rita Skeeter said in her Daily Prophet article two years ago, and of course it's not true."

"Well, the problem is, if she did give you a Love Potion, you wouldn't remember taking it. If it was done right, you never suspect them anyway," Lystra said pointedly. 

"That's not like Hermione," Harry said, not quite sure how to handle this latest turn of events. Lystra, accusing Hermione of Love Potions?

"Well, maybe," Lystra said, lowering her eyelashes. 

They sat in silence for a few seconds, then Lystra shifted and put her hands around him. 

"I didn't mean it, Harry. I just don't like her, somehow. I have a bad feeling about that girl."

"That's exactly what Hermione said about you," Harry said. His mind was spinning. 

"She did, eh?" Lystra's grip on him tightened. "Well, never mind her. Come on Harry, let's forget her for a second. Tell me, have you ever kissed a girl before?"

*

Hermione lay on her bed, trying to think of anything else but how much she hated Lystra. Her hands involuntarily clenched whenever she thought of her. 

In annoyance, she noticed that there was a faint glow coming from Lystra's bedside table. She must've left her wand on Lumos-spell, Hermione thought irritably. It shone through the darkness of the dorm like a beacon. 

She could stand it no longer. She got up, pushed the covers aside, and in her pajamas shuffled over to Lystra's bedside table. 

The glow seemed to be coming from a ring, a ring that she had seen Lystra wear many times. One with an odd black pearl on it. She'd never known it glowed before, however. 

Hermione picked it up to try and figure out how to turn the glow off. It was oddly cold to the touch, and shone gently in her palm. 

There didn't seem to be a button or anything to turn the glow on and off, so Hermione brought it close to her face for a better look. Maybe if she cleaned it .. she breathed on it for moisture, then wiped it clean with her sleeve. 

There was something appearing inside the pearl ring .. Hermione squinted at it, trying to decipher it...

And as the image grew clearer - into a cruel, white face with slanting red eyes - she let out a scream and hurled it across the room. 

Voldemort! 

His tinny voice began to shriek from the pearl. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, thinking of the memories that sound brought back. Voldemort - the sick freak that was after her Harry! 

It wouldn't stop talking! She stomped down at it with the heel of her foot. The pearl, however, remained intact. The little tiny image inside it stayed perfectly clear. 

Suddenly, Hermione froze in mid-stomp. What did this mean? It meant Lystra was an agent of Voldemort's! _And she was downstairs alone in the common room with Harry this very instant!_

Hermione lifted her foot off the ring and stood for a second. Then, as curious voices began to emerge from the beds around her, she bent, grabbed the pearl ring and turned and bolted out the door. 

*

Lystra leaned invitingly close to him, so close he could smell her perfume - an oddly familiar, sweet smell, that he could not place. 

Their foreheads touched, and Harry stared deep into her teal eyes - framed by such long eyelashes, and perfectly slanted. 

Then her lips moved close to his, and he breathed deep in her smell.. What _was_ that smell? 

Her lips brushed his - 

_"HARRY!" _

Lystra and Harry jumped apart. 

Hermione, in white pajamas, was rushing down the stairs, stumbling in her panic and taking them two at a time. "Harry, don't do it!" she screamed again. 

"Hermione?" Harry said in disbelief. "What are you do-, oh, man.."

He was struck by a sudden wave of drowsiness and didn't finish his sentence. There was something odd going on .. he was lightheaded, his lips felt funny. A tingle. 

Hermione rushed forward and grabbed his shoulder. "Harry! Are you all right? _What did she do?!"_

"Nothing," Harry mumbled. He was falling into a wave of sleepiness. 

Hermione let out a scream as Harry slumped back against the couch, unconscious. 

Lystra had jumped up and was staring at Hermione with anger blazing in her eyes. "You -" she hissed, her eyes flaming red. "You interrupted me!"

Hermione grabbed the limp Harry under the arms and dragged him out of the couch, away from Lystra's reach. "You work for Voldemort!" she spat.

"So you finally figured it out," said Lystra, towering over her. Her lips were pulled back in a grimace - her lips! 

They were green, a vivid, bright, poisonous green that caught Hermione's eyes and held them transfixed, staring. 

Harry's lips were the same color, though duller. Hermione had a sudden vision of her first sight of Ron at the lake after his and Lystra's date; his lips were mottled green just like that. . she'd thought it was a reflection from the lakewater .. 

Following her gaze, and seeing the horrified expression on Hermione's face, Lystra threw back her head and laughed. 

"I am a creation of Lord Voldemort," she snarled contemptuously. "My body is beautiful - my skills are numerous - and my lips are poison."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

That was fun to write! Next chapter coming soon! I promise! ~CM


	6. Poison Enacted

_A/N: Terribly sorry this took so long. My Internet service provider is still screwed up, and it's been randomly eating my emails, both those I send and those I receive. A thousand apologies to everyone, and most definitely a thousand thanks to anyone who reviewed. *bows* Here you are:_

**_AmandaMancini_**___ - People keep telling me they print out my stories. *looks flattered* Are they really worth it?? **ashkickerchic** - of course it's H/H, I'm an H/H fan to the death! **StarFish** - Hi Nick! I remember you! Thankies so much for always reviewing, I love it! **Miki_Rainwater** - Praise? *blushes* I should be strung up for making you guys wait so long .. but here it is! **Corinne Cassandra Valard **- Hehe, I love involved readers. Harry **is**__ a bit of a jerk in that scene, I think I'm going to rewrite it. **Trance** - that's characteristic of me. I'm a Mad Cliffhangerist. ;) **Karen A. Plattes** - Backwards? That should be interesting. ^_^ **hermione potter** - thanks for the emergency job, and how did you guess? I only found out that similarity _after_ I wrote it!_

_Well, here you-all go! I hope you enjoy it, 'cause I had to rewrite one ... particular ... scene .. *winks at Me Myself and I.* I couldn't stop laughing after you pointed that out .. ;)_

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Hermione stared at her, unbelieving. Then, slowly, things begun to come together. 

"You don't have any lipstick!" she gasped. "That day - Parvati came in and asked you for makeup, and you didn't have any lipstick. But your lips were smudged that night when you came back from Ron's date!"

"Yes," Lystra said, smiling slightly, "I can't wear lipstick, you know. It covers up the poison, so when I kiss, I can't kill them."

"So - what -"

"Some of the poison leaked out. I was about to kill him, and instead it dribbled down my lips when I missed .." 

"You - you - Ron -" Hermione gasped out. "You didn't kill him, you just brushed his lips, didn't you? .. before something interrupted you!" 

Lystra's face darkened and she advanced on Hermione. The turquoise eyes blazed in her white face. She looked suddenly dangerous. "Yes," she growled, "that fool, that pigheaded stupid boy realized what I was .. I was careless enough to let slip my secret .. and he jerked away..yelled for help..so I had to start my acting a little bit early."

Hermione inched a little backward, still protectively standing in front of Harry's unconscious form. 

"But it didn't work!" she blurted out, anger coursing suddenly through her. "It didn't work! Ron's not dead, and neither is Harry!" she said triumphantly. "And I've found out your secret!"

"Yes.." said Lystra slowly, a grin spreading across her face. "Yes, that is a bit of a problem. However," she stepped again toward Hermione, "that can be remedied.." 

Hermione got what she meant. She looked automatically towards the stairs to the dormitories.

Lystra, following her gaze, laughed derisively. "No one will hear you scream," she whispered, her eyes glowing suddenly with an inner light that gave Hermione a chill up her spine. This woman was mad. 

"No one will hear you scream," she whispered again, taking a step closer. 

Hermione moved back, clutching Harry's limp wrist. 

"I can kill you, Granger, before you make a sound. I am Lord Voldemort's creation. I am perfect, a perfect instrument of death, raised and trained to kill."

Hermione stared back into those sinister eyes, lit with a fire that burned cold at the thought of death. 

_I held off Voldemort,_ she thought desperately. _I did, me and Harry. But Harry is unconscious - I don't even know if he'll even wake up at all - and I have no protection. None at all._

"Come on, Harry, wake up," she murmured, shaking Harry's wrist. "I need you.."

Lystra took another slow, measured step towards her. Her lovely face was screwed up into a grimace of hatred. 

Hermione stared at her, then backed up and shook her head, tightening her grip on Harry's limp wrist. "I won't let you kill him," she choked. "I won't let you do it."

But Lystra's eyes were shining. "Yes," she said. "I'll kill him first. And he'll die without ever knowing, Hermione dear, without ever knowing that you were right about me. That _I_ was his undoing." She let out a low chuckle. "Now hand him over to me. He is, after all, what I came here to accomplish in the first place. Work before pleasure, you know." 

"No!"

"Very well, then," Lystra said suddenly, straightening. Before Hermione knew what was going on, Lystra had whipped forward with inhuman speed and knocked Hermione a blow to the gut that sent her flying backward. 

Hermione let go of Harry's wrist, surprised and out of air. She gasped for oxygen as Lystra pulled Harry's body up from the floor with strength that no teenage girl certainly ever had. 

Lystra whipped out a long, dark wand and shot something blue at Harry. It surrounded him and lifted him a few feet above the ground, still unconscious, where he floated gently. 

"You let go of him," Hermione growled, getting her wind back and rolling over into a crouch. "Right now."

Lystra ignored her. "What if I don't?" she said boredly, studying Harry inside the blue as if he were a specimen in a tank. "You'll curse me? That won't work. I've been working with you in your classes. I know what you're capable of, and you can't hurt me."

Hermione clenched her teeth. Somehow, she thought Lystra was right. She couldn't get the better of the strange girl in a duel. But .. what could she do?

*

Harry felt like he was drowning, drowning in cold liquid. His nostrils were full of that sickly sweet scent about Lystra - an overpowering stickiness that made him want to throw up. His entire body was cold - he had never been so cold in his entire life. He could not stop shaking. 

Blackness was all around him .. it was like his dreams, before .. what dreams? He knew he'd dreamed something terrible, something that had been like this blackness, but he could not remember .. 

What was the last thing he'd done? He and Lystra were in the Gryffindor common room, alone, and Lystra was about to kiss him .. then Hermione had come bursting in, yelling something. What had she said? He and Lystra had broken apart with only a brush of each other's lips, then he had felt suddenly incredibly sleepy. And fallen asleep, extremely quickly. 

Where was he? 

He looked down at his body. He was just floating there, in the same T-shirt and jeans he'd been wearing in the common room with Lystra, just - not existing. There was infinite blackness all around him. He had an eerie feeling, odd as this place was, that he'd been there before. 

Then, scaring him nearly out of his skin, someone called to him. 

"Harry!"

Harry wheeled .. and came face to face with Ron. 

"RON?!"

"Harry! What are you doing here?" Ron exclaimed. There he was, red hair, freckles and all, looking perfectly normal - except that he was just floating in space, just like Harry. 

"I don't know!" Harry confessed, staring at Ron. "Ron, what are YOU doing here? You're ... half-dead! In the hospital! You haven't shown a sign of life for days! What happened to you? And your lips - they're _green!"_

"So are yours, Harry."

Harry jumped and put a hand to his own lips. "Green?" he managed. "How - why.."

"It's Lystra, Harry. She nearly killed me. I was with her." At Harry's questioning look, Ron elaborated. "On our date. Well, we were walking along the lake, you know, and Lystra was flirting like mad with me. Then she leaned close to me, you know, like she was going to kiss me .. She got this look in her eyes that scared me to the bone..and she whispered in my ear .."

Ron looked hard at Harry. "She whispered that she was a Death Angel. A female supporter of Voldemort's. And she was there to kill you, separate you and Hermione." 

Harry stared at Ron, his mouth open. "You're joking," he managed at last, in a dry voice. "You're joking - you have to be!"

"Hermione was right, Harry," Ron said heavily. "She's bad news. Well, you can be sure I screamed so loud for help that someone must've heard me .. god, Harry! She has canine teeth. Like a vampire's. And it took me a long time to figure out but .. her lips have a poison in them. It almost killed me. And I think it almost killed you. That's why you're here, with me."

Harry sank to his knees. "Oh my God, Ron, Hermione!"

"What? What happened?" Ron said, intensity in his voice as he dropped down beside Harry. "Tell me all what's happened - since I got attacked. How long has it been?"

"A few days," Harry managed, hiding his face. "Hermione and I fought. On the night we found you .. she thought Lystra had something to do with it, and I thought she was being stupid with jealousy about a pretty face.." He shook his head, guilt flooding through him. "We broke up."

Ron grasped his arm. "Lavender," he said urgently, pulling Harry's head around to look at him. "Lavender - is she all right?"

Harry stared at him. "She - she's staying with you. Your uh, body, I mean. She hasn't left her post since you were attacked."

Ron let out a moan and slid to his knees. "Oh, Lavender," he muttered, clutching his hair, "I wish I hadn't - I wish I hadn't broken up with her -" 

But Harry was straightening. 

"Ron - I left Hermione alone with Lystra. In the common room. Alone. Hermione knows! That's why she broke us up. How the devil does she know?"

"Hermione's smart, Harry," Ron said dismissively, standing up. "Right now we need to worry about how we're going to get ourselves out of this."

Suddenly, however, a white-hot flash of pain burned Harry's scar. "Dammit!" he cursed, holding his hand to his scar. 

"What? Your scar again?" Ron said concernedly, trying to lift Harry's hand and get a good look at the scar. 

"Ow," Harry mumbled dully, the scar burning on his forehead. Ron's face seemed to be blurring, sliding out of focus. Instead, the scar started to pulse, and with it - Harry let out a yell of suprise - low, chanting words seemed to pound at the back of his head. 

"Harry? Harry! What's wrong?" Ron shook Harry hard. 

"Words," Harry mumbled. "Words .. they're saying something .."

"Harry! Who's saying what? Try and make it out.." 

The chanting grew steadily in Harry's head. It seemed familiar .. it had a familiar ring to it..

_"Foe vanquished - the leader gone, the people mourn.."_

_ "Love of the foe - silenced, her voice lovelorn.."_

"I've heard this before!" Harry yelled, breaking into the silence. "I've heard it before! My dream!"

Ron looked around. There was no one, and no words were being said. "Harry, are you all right?" he said cautiously. 

Harry paid him no heed. The voices were continuing. 

_"Her power gone with broken heart, soon to depart .."_

_ "Friend of the foe - dead, murdered by the dark.."_

That was it! His dream! It all came back to him now. The Great Hall, his own dead body and Ron's, Hermione crying in her pajamas .. Lystra, chanting along with Voldemort. 

But this time the chant continued, with new words he had never heard.

_"Hair and eyes of brown, more beautiful than anyone else.."_

_ "The one the foe loves, one with voice like bells,"_

_ "Will this night be defeated by our spells."_

"No!" Harry screamed, falling to his knees and clutching his head. "No! Hermione! They're talking about Hermione!"

Ron stared at Harry, scared and bewildered. Harry was talking about voices in his head? .. "Harry, what's wrong? What about Hermione?"

_"All these together, combined to defeat,"_

_ "Just say the word, and the last one will be beat!"_

*

I wish I was Harry, Hermione thought bitterly. He could do something here. He's so much braver than me! Oh, Harry .. I'm sorry I argued with you! Please come to me! I need you!

*

Hermione! Harry thought in despair. Oh, Hermione, Hermione, I'm so sorry I ever doubted you about Lystra! 

He felt Ron's hand on his back, and realized he was shaking. Ron helped him up to his feet. "Harry- what was that all about? Is Hermione in trouble?" Ron asked cautiously. 

"Yes," Harry said, reaching up and running a hand through his hair. "Oh, God, yes. I wish I could be with her! I never should have doubted her! I'd give anything to be back with her right now!"

~

_Harry, I need you!_

_~_

_ Hermione, I need you!_

Lystra let out a scream as, taking both her and Hermione by suprise, Harry broke free of the blue spell and tumbled to the floor.

  
  


* * *

_There! Sorry about the cliffhanger. The next chapter is the last one, and we'll be finally done with this awful story! ;) _~CM


	7. Finale!

_A/N: As always, terribly sorry for taking so long on this! This is the last chapter; the finale, the final showdown, and finally this awful story will be over with. ;)__ A bit of bad news at the bottom .... but read the last chapter first. _

**_Tindabedina_**_ - Here ya go! **Star Fish** - Unfortunately, see note at bottom, I have noooo ideas for a sequel ... I've got lots of other stories in the writing, though! **Kacie Michelle** - hope you like, and hope you return for different stories! **Calvin Potterson** - do you read HP? I think I saw, was it your story or did you just review it, a Calvin & Hobbes story wherein they go on the internet and pretend to be designers for his dad's company? Anyway, email me if you need beta-ing. **Corinne Cassandra Valard** - thanks, sorry for making you wait, and hope you enjoy! **Eugenia** - I'll email you soon, sorry I didn't send this chapter to you first but I really wanted to get it out. **Thea** - don't you dare. DON'T YOU DARE. **Fallen*Angel** - hit the nose on the first try. I discovered that while writing this story .. I must have remembered it from seeing that movie and thought I came up with it myself. Anyway, thanks - I don't often get that sort of frank reviews._

_Thankees very much to Me Myself and I for beta-ing! (A long, long time ago, and if you read this, where is Missed Chance?? ;)_

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"Harry!" Hermione yelled, rushing forward. She helped pull Harry forward. "Harry, what the devil did you do?"

"Hermione!" Taking her by complete surprise, Harry looked up at her and threw his arms around her. "You're all right!"

"Not for long I'm not," Hermione gasped, torn between amazement and fondness for Harry, "if you keep squeezing me like that!"

He loosened his grip, reaching up and touching her hair almost reverently. "Hermione, I'm so sorry - I never should have doubted you -"

But their reunion was sharply broken by Lystra's scream of absolute fury. 

"I killed you!" she screamed, stamping her foot, her hair shaking around her in disarray. "How the hell are you back here?!"

Harry shook his head, his arms protectively around Hermione. "I don't know," he said. "I really don't know. All I know is, I was in a sort of half-coma, I think - Ron was there - and I was wishing so hard to be with you -"

"So was I!" Hermione said, staring at him. "Just before you came alive - I was wishing with all my heart for you to come and help me."

"You were?" 

"Yeah," Hermione said, vaguely embarrassed. 

"It doesn't matter," Lystra said between clenched teeth in a voice full of nails. Her perfectly shaped long fingernails were digging into her palms. "I can kill you now."

Harry reached into his pocket and whipped out his wand in a flash. 

"Try it," he said grimly. 

Lystra stared at him. Then, suddenly, a wide grin spread across her face, one that sent a chill up both Harry and Hermione's spines. 

"Harry, I know that look. She's-" Hermione started in alarm.

But too late. Lystra moved with inhuman speed to snatch Harry's wand away from him. Harry blinked in surprise at his empty hand. 

"That's - impossible," he managed at last. "No one's that fast!"

"I am," said Lystra, smiling. She held up his wand and swung it back and forth in front of him. "Remember, I am not human. I am creation of Lord Voldemort's."

She smiled, showing every one of those straight white even teeth. 

"I shall enjoy killing you," she whispered. 

Her deep turquoise eyes burned into Harry's green. Each determined, one gleefully so, one stolidly so. 

With an inhuman shriek, Lystra leapt into the air with lightning-fast speed and kicked Harry in the center of his chest. He went flying across the room and landed against the wall, stunned. 

"Harry!" Hermione screamed. 

Dazed, Harry lifted his head, only to have Lystra lift him again. She heaved him with unbelievable strength towards the floor - it cracked, and Harry yelped as splinters from the wood dug into his sides. 

"Oh, no, Harry!" Hermione picked up her own wand and ran towards Lystra and Harry with it. "Hey, Lystra! Take _this!_ _Expelliarmus!"_

But (reminding Hermione eerily of Voldemort) the spell bounced off Lystra's outstretched hand. "Easy," she snarled. "I've got blocks for all your petty spells."

Hermione gripped her wand even tighter. Lystra smirked, and quick as a flash, grabbed Harry by the leg and lifted him upside down. 

"Your boyfriend's going down," Lystra taunted, "and there's nothing you can do about it!"

Harry, upside down, caught Hermione's eye. 

"Don't worry," he said. 

_Don't worry! Like you've got the situation under control! _

"You can do it, Hermione!" he yelled. "I know you can!"

"Do what?" she screamed at him, panicking, racking her brains for spells that could possibly help. 

Then it came to her:

_The Power-Transfer Spell!_

They'd practiced it in Charms, and Neville had accidentally transferred his power to a plant, making it grow out of control. 

Well, if he could do that to a plant, couldn't she transfer her power to Harry?

_"Pass Energy!"_ she yelled without a second thought, pointing her wand at Harry. 

It was a horrible feeling - her life was being sucked out of her - her wand was getting heavy, so heavy to hold - she couldn't stay on her feet any longer, she was going to collapse - _I've got to hold on, for Harry_ -

A bright red bolt was gathering at the tip of her wand. She felt like her whole body was being sucked into a vaccuum cleaner. She could feel the power at the end of her wand, pulsing, throbbing under her fingers. 

Until finally, she could hold on no longer. 

The bright red bolt shot across the room and towards Harry .. it _dissolved_ into him as it hit his chest .. 

Hermione's knees buckled beneath her and she collapsed into cool darkness .. hoping that she had done the right thing.

*

Across the room, Harry dropped onto the floor as Lystra let him go. He felt the red spell of Hermione's life dissolve into his, and it was weird .. Strength like he had just awakened, refreshed and ready to go - was coursing through his entire body. His eyes snapped open. 

He stared up at Lystra, who was staring back at him with fear in her eyes. Strange because he had never seen it in her before. 

"This one's for Ron," he growled, and leaping to his feet, he jumped up - and kicked Lystra. He sent her flying across the room just like him. 

Lystra leapt to her feet, enraged. "How dare you!" she breathed. "I'll get you for that!" She flew back across the room and began to punch and kick him with all her might. 

He thought he was moving at normal speed, yet there was a slowness to everything else, so he found it easy to dodge Lystra's frenzied attacks. 

"And this one's for me.." he got off a good punch, right to her face. It kind of tugged at his sense of rightness, hitting a girl like that, but he told himself she well deserved it. 

Lystra screamed and staggered backwards, her hand to her nose, which was beginning to bleed .. not normal blood, either. It was a very weird shade of purply-green. 

"You're _not_ human," Harry gasped, staring at her. "You're something .. _else!"_

"You're a fool!" she rasped, her breath coming in gasps too. "I am not .. defeated .. I cannot be defeated, for I have Lord Voldemort's strength.."

Harry gaped at her. _Crap!_

"What _are _you?" 

Lystra straightened, her eyes glowing, wiping the last of the strange-colored blood off her face. "I am a Death Angel! I am not like any others on this earth. I sprung from death ... Lord Voldemort used ancient Dark magic to create me, me and the other Death Angels. Our strength comes from hundreds of people, all the people he's ever killed ... did you know that when something dies, a burst of energy rushes out of them? It's the energy that they used to live, and it's invisible, but it's there. You can tap the energy ..." She grinned. "You can use it to create _more_ life. Me." 

"And there are more like you?"

"That," she smiled, "is most certainly...."

She leaned in close to him.

"....a diversion!" she screamed, and drew her fist back and punched him with the energy of a hundred dead people.

He managed to dodge most of it, but her clenched fist caught the side of his head. It was fire across his scalp. He stumbled to the side as Lystra whipped around to face him again.

"You're an idiot, Harry Potter," she told him grimly. "You think you can defeat me, but I've got news for you, you can't!" She kicked him; he dodged it. "Not even with your little girlfriend's strength. Too smart for her own good, that witch." 

Harry grunted as he ducked beneath another uppercut. "Just as smart as you, I guess, because she found out your secret!" 

"She was lucky," Lystra spat, whipping around and catching him neatly in the head with her foot. He crumpled, sprawling on the floor, and found himself looking up at her as she leaned over him, grinning. 

"I beat you, Harry Potter," she said triumphantly, planting a foot on his chest. "Just like all the others. And here I thought I would have a challenge."

Harry stared up into her eerie turquoise eyes. There seemed to be nothing else to do. 

Something touched his arm; he threw his head to the side, and saw Hermione. They had worked their way to where she was lying on the floor. Her brown eyes were still closed, but she was touching his hand with something. A ring, with a black pearl on it. The one Lystra always wore. Why did Hermione have it?

Lystra saw it. In a split second, Harry saw her eyes widen in fear. He clenched his hand around the ring just before Lystra swooped down with lightning speed to steal it. 

"Give me that," she spat, jamming her heel into his chest. 

Harry gasped out air. "You want it?" he managed. 

"Give it to me," she repeated viciously, her eyes blazing. 

Harry shook his head. If she wanted it so badly, then it was probably dangerous. He concentrated all his might, all his and Hermione's. 

"NO!" he yelled, springing up and flinging her off him. She tumbled backwards with a scream. Harry threw the pearl ring on the ground and held his foot over it.

"This one's for Hermione!" he yelled. 

Lystra let out a moan of despair. 

Harry stomped down on it with all his might. 

It shattered. So did Lystra. 

The pearl ground into powder beneath his foot. 

A horrible, piercing scream split the air, driving into Harry's very bones, making him slap his hands to his ears in a fruitless effort to block out Lystra's death throes. 

And Lystra exploded.

She just flew apart into a million pieces, cloth, black hair strands, little metal wires scattering everywhere. Harry gaped in amazement. 

There were only scraps left of her. 

Slowly, Harry let out a deep breath. He sank to his knees, touching the pile of black powder that was once a ring and let out a great sigh of relief. 

It was over. 

*

In the hospital wing, Ron blinked. 

Lavender, who had been dozing slightly on his shoulder, opened her eyes sleepily. Had she just been dreaming? Was Ron really awake?

Ron blinked again. Then he stirred, trying to get Lavender's weight off his shoulder. 

The next moment, his eardrums were shattering by a piercing scream.

_"RON!" _

Lavender leapt up from the bed and threw her arms around him. "Ron, Ron, Ron, you're awake! Oh, I'm so glad!"

"I'm glad to see you too, Lavender," Ron mumbled, letting her hug him tightly to her. 

"Good job, Harry," he whispered into the crook of her arm.

*

But Harry wasn't celebrating. 

"Come on, Hermione, wake up," he pleaded. 

Hermione was in his arms now, unconscious, her head lolling to the side. She looked so frail now, and pitiful. How could he have let her do such a thing for him? Give him all her life-energy? What had he been thinking?

With shaking fingers he smoothed back strands of brown hair that had fallen into her face, touching the cut on her cheek where Lystra had scratched her. "Hermione, please," he whispered. "I can't lose you, I couldn't stand it if I lost anyone else, please wake up. Please. It's me, Harry. Remember how I came back to you when you needed me? I need you now. _Please." _

A tear, then another, slipped down his cheek and splashed on Hermione. He pressed his cheek against her hair, rocking her silently in his arms, as if his warmth could bring her back. 

Something seemed to pass through him, to slip back into Hermione. 

"Harry?" 

It was a very faint voice, but it was there. He opened his eyes and stared into large brown ones. 

"Hermione!" Harry said, too happy to say anything but her name. He clutched her to him, as if she might slip away any minute. "Hermione!"

"Easy now," she said, managing a faint smile, and pushing him away. He helped her sit up, his throat filling as he watched her. His perfect Hermione, his saving grace once again.. she was all right! She was so beautiful! 

"Is Lystra..?" she questioned, looking up at him with puzzled eyes. 

He nodded, his throat still too tight to speak. "She's gone. I killed her. She's dead."

"Good," Hermione said, a wry half-grin spilling across her face as she looked up at him. 

Harry hugged her to him again, embarrassed to find himself shaking again. He ran a rough hand over her hair and smoothed her cheek. He had come so close to losing her. 

"Hermione," he said at last. 

Hermione turned to look at him. 

"Will you - will you be my girlfriend again? I'm apologizing for the fight we had. I was wrong about Lystra. I'm sorry."

She laughed, a sound that filled Harry's heart with joy. "I was wrong too," she admitted. "Well, not in this case, but I've got to learn to give people a chance. Like Dumbledore does."

"A second chance? Even for Malfoy?" Harry questioned, grinning shakily at her. 

"Mmmmm....yes, I suppose. Even for Malfoy."

They stood staring at each other for a few moments, then Hermione leaned forward and kissed Harry. 

They were lost in each other, lost in a swirl of happiness and triumph, joy and relief in one big spiral of life, the same as Lavender and Ron were locked in a kiss above them. 

Things were right again, Hermione thought with satisfaction as she leaned on Harry's comforting shoulder. They were together once again.

She had been wrong to wonder whether they belonged together; no, they were _meant_ for each other.

For once ... and for all.

*

THE END

  
  
  
  


Epilogue....

  
  


Far, far away, at that same moment, in a sprawling mansion atop a high cliff, a fist slammed down on a wooden table. "Dammit!" 

Voldemort picked up the pearl ring that he had been using to communicate with Lystra and crushed it into powder between his fingers. He glanced out the window, where endless stars winked, and strode towards the door.

"If you want a job done, you have to do it yourself," he muttered, and blasted the door to splinters. 

  
  


--------------------------------------* * *

  
  


_A/N: Here is where the story stops. I'm mortified to say that I have absolutely zero ideas for a sequel .... all the ideas I come up with seem to be horribly cliche (ex. Voldie appears at graduation night, etc.) so rather than disgrace the story furthur with an awful continuation, I'm leaving it at here. Use your imagination; give me ideas! ;) J/K. Or, if you prefer happy endings, just ignore the epilogue. However, I have been working on several other stories and they should be ready to post soon. Watch for "Star Crossed," an after-Hogwarts H/H love story, the next chapter of "Missed Chance," and "Midsummer Night's Dream" - a bit of summer fluff at the beach. Have fun, and I hope the story hasn't disappointed you too much! Maybe someday I'll return and re-write some of the worse chapters, like the first one. Cya all, and many, many thanks to anyone who had the kindness to review this poor fic. ;) _

_~CM_


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